


can you be my heroine, cause god I tried everything else

by SilverHeart09



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/F, soft time lords, thorsair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-07-11 14:02:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19929250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHeart09/pseuds/SilverHeart09
Summary: After the Corsair comes to the rescue, the Doctor sees a chance for redemption.And maybe a few wrongs can be righted at the same time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (yeets myself back into writing Thorsair fics)  
> Story title is from Tobacco In My Sheets by Lauren Aquilina and it's soft as heck.

It hadn’t been one of the Doctor’s better ideas. Or perhaps it would have been, if she hadn’t landed them in the wrong place and they’d been immediately captured by pirates. Teles Four had miles upon miles of sandy beaches, she’d said. Perfect for escaping the rainy Sheffield weather. 

The pirate ship didn't have any beaches and the nearest one was most likely a long way off, considering they were currently in the middle of the ocean. 

‘Got an idea for this one, Doc?’ Graham whispered as they were frogmarched across the deck towards what looked  _ very much  _ like a plank.

‘Wait, pirates actually do that?’ Ryan said, sounding worried. ‘I thought it was just like in the movies or something.’

‘These guys have obviously watched  _ Pirates of the Carribean  _ and gotten a few ideas, _ ’  _ Yaz said nervously, looking down at the black water of the ocean and the darkening sky above them. It was late in the day, practically night, and Yaz knew they’d never make it out of that water once they were in it. The current looked strong and with their bound hands they couldn’t even defend themselves and sprint back towards the TARDIS.

‘You guys can swim, right?’ the Doctor asked casually, and the three humans glared at her. 

‘Who’s going first?’ the captain bellowed, sword pointed at the four of them. ‘If no-one volunteers I’ll do the choosing.’

His crew cheered at that and the Doctor took a step forward. 

‘Or, just a thought, you could throw  _ none of us  _ off and let us go back into our little blue box and be on our merry way?’

The crew laughed, and the Doctor pulled a face. 

‘Why did I think you’d have that reaction. One day someone will actually listen to me and decide it’ll be easier to just  _ let us go  _ rather then do this whole spectacle and  _ humph _ -!’

One of the pirates had shoved a gag in the Doctor's mouth and she glared furiously at him, hands struggling against the ropes keeping her bound as she tried desperately hard to free herself. 

Yaz wondered why it was she’d been able to wriggle free from the chains that had kept her bound at the bottom of Becca Savage’s pond but rope gave her so much trouble. Perhaps Houdini hadn’t got that far when he’d taught her. 

‘Throw her off first,’ the captain said with a laugh. ‘She’s annoying me.’ 

Yaz, Ryan and Graham barely had time to protest or reach out for her before one of the pirates had grabbed her arm, shoved her backwards, and knocked her over the side of the boat, coattails streaking through the air as she disappeared from view. 

‘Right. One down,’ the Captain said, then he pointed his sword at Yaz. ‘Seems a shame to waste such beautiful women when there are other delights were could get from each of you, but sadly we don’t have enough food for two more hungry mouths. So over you go.’

‘Hey! Get off me!’ 

Yaz struggled furiously in the pirate’s grip, but she knew it was useless and she just had time to catch Ryan and Graham’s horrified expressions before she was falling down down down into the freezing water. 

It hit her hard and knocked all the breath out of her. The water was as cold as she’d expected and, with her hands bound, she couldn’t make it to the surface. The water was pitch black and the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Yaz tried to search for her but the salt water forced her eyes shut and the swell and rise of the current pulled her down deeper under the waves. 

Her lungs burned for air, and Yaz tried desperately hard to loosen the rope around her wrists, twisting and turning as she struggled to free herself. Thankfully it came loose after a few good tugs and Yaz tried to swim to the surface but she couldn’t tell where the surface  _ was.  _ Blackness was all around her and she reached out her hand in all directions, desperate to feel air against her fingertips. Her lungs burned and screamed at her and, just before she opened her mouth and sea water came rushing in, she could have sworn she heard the familiar buzz of the sonic piercing through the waves.

* * *

‘Yaz.  _ Yaz.’ _

Yaz opened her eyes and saw the Doctor and Ryan’s worried faces leaning over her. 

The air was quiet, though she could still hear the sounds of the waves around her, and looking up she realised she was staring at the sky, white dots of stars dotted across the blackness and shining in the night. She could see folded sails attached to tall masts above her, though not belonging to the pirate ship. These sails were white and there were no other voices around her other than the Doctor’s and Ryan’s. No gruff voices from the men or cheering from their captors. 

‘Where’s Graham?’ Yaz choked, feeling the salt at the back of her throat and coughing violently. 

‘I’m fine,’ Graham said, appearing in front of her and helping her to sit up. 

The Doctor was soaked through but Ryan and Graham were dry as a bone, Yaz realised, and she frowned at them in confusion before realising there was another figure leaning against the mast and watching the reunion with a bemused smile on her face. She was tall, with long jet black hair and a pointed chin. She was wearing dark trousers, knee high boots and a ruffled white shirt with a waistcoat over the top and a sash around her waist. She looked like she’d come straight out of a pantomime, and Ryan caught her gaze. 

‘Friend of the Doctor's,’ he explained. ‘She’s the one that pulled us out of the water.’ 

‘Where are we?’ Yaz asked, accepting the hands on her elbows that helped her to stand up. She noticed that the Doctor wasn’t looking at her ‘friend’, and was instead gazing out at sea with a dark expression on her face. She was pale and her shoulders were shaking, though it didn't seem to be from the cold. 

‘You’re on my TARDIS,’ the woman said. ‘I’m the Corsair, since the Doctor hasn’t bothered to introduce me.’

‘TARDIS?’ 

Yaz was on the deck of a ship, she was sure of it. It was a large ship, certainly grand and extravagant with its sails and canons mounted on the deck, but it looked nothing like the TARDIS and she blinked around her in confusion. 

‘We’re on the deck,’ Graham explained, seeing the puzzlement on her face. ‘Apparently the control room is downstairs.’ 

The Doctor’s TARDIS was tucked away into a corner of the ship, glowing faintly in the ever-fading light of the setting-sun, and Yaz wondered how they’d gotten it on board. 

‘She did it,’ Ryan said, nodding at the Corsair as though he’d read her mind. ‘After she pulled you and the Doctor out of the ocean she came back for me and Graham and moved the TARDIS across.’ 

‘Thanks for that, by the way,’ Graham said to the Corsair, and she tipped her head at him in acknowledgement of his gratitude. 

‘What happened to the pirates?’ Yaz asked, and the Doctor scowled darkly. 

‘These aren’t just for show,’ the Corsair said, patting a canon affectionately. ‘Don’t worry, it was just a warning shot to get them to back off. I’m sure they’ll be able to fix the hole before they sink. And if not, what a shame. Now come on, we’d better get you dry before you freeze.’

‘We can head off now,’ the Doctor said quickly, and the Corsair glared at her. 

‘Don’t be ridiculous. I think we have some serious catching up to do.’ 

* * *

The room the Corsair led her into was small with wooden panels in the floor and walls, very like a cabin, but the bed looked deliriously comfy and Yaz longed to fall right into it. The pillows were fluffed to perfection and the duvet looked so warm and comfortable after the coldness of the ocean. 

There was a little porthole set into the wall through which Yaz could see the waves beating against the side of the ship and the night sky ahead brilliant with stars.

‘I bet the Doctor hasn’t got a view like this in that stuffy old box of hers,’ the Corsair smirked, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest. 

Yaz wondered if the Corsair realised just how alike she and the Doctor were. While their personalities were somewhat off-kilter, they both still shared the same pride and arrogance when it came to their TARDIS’, both convinced their own was far superior.

Yaz was unsure how she felt about the Corsair’s ship. While it couldn’t be denied that the outside was larger and indeed more grander than the Doctor's, it also seemed to lack the warmth and cosiness that made the police box more homely. The Doctor’s TARDIS seemed to have designed herself to suit the Doctor’s friends as much as her pilot, whereas the Corsair’s ship didn't seem particularly inclined towards anyone other than her own Time Lord. 

‘I’ll send her in when she realises my ship has locked her out of the systems,’ the Corsair replied, straightening up and pausing with a hand on the door handle. ‘You don’t mind sharing, do you? I’m not used to guests. Not the kind that require their own room for more than one night, anyway.’

She winked at Yaz, who felt herself flushing. 

‘I would let her bunk with me but she kicks something dreadful,’ the Corsair considered thoughtfully. ‘Or  _ he  _ did anyway. Hopefully you’ll have better luck with this one.’

‘Graham said you were her friend,’ Yaz said hesitantly. ‘Is that true? Only we’ve met a couple of the Doctor’s “friends” and they’re a little… well, different from what we’re used to.’ 

‘Surely you’ve not met the Master?’ the Corsair said in surprise, but she saw the blank expression on Yaz’s face and smirked. ‘Never mind. The Doctor and I go way back. She was my drinking buddy, back in the day. Not sure what I’ve done to offend her now though, she looked positively furious to see me.’

‘How did you know to come rescue us?’ Yaz asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking curiously at this other Time Lord who was both alike and  _ un _ like her own. 

‘Picked up your distress signal,’ the Corsair replied. ‘The one the Doctor managed to send with the sonic. Good to know old habits die hard. I don’t suppose you’d know what number she’s on now? No? Never mind. Bathroom is at the end of the hall and I have giant fluffy towels in there. Take your time.’ 

Then she turned, and sauntered out of the room leaving Yaz with more questions than answers. 

* * *

‘So, what have I done this time? You can’t still be mad about the whole bank vault thing. That was  _ ages  _ ago and we were both different people back then. Literally.’ 

The Doctor - who’d been gazing moodily down into the waves - jumped up and tried to adopt a nonchalant pose, failing miserably and looking even more suspect than before. The waves smacked against the TARDIS and a whale made its call somewhere out in the distance, searching for its friends. 

The Corsair took a step closer and, to her shock, the Doctor took a step back and looked down at the ground; pale fingers fiddling with the hem of her coat. 

‘Oh dear,’ the Corsair said quietly. ‘That bad, is it?’

The Doctor said nothing and the Corsair squinted and tilted her head in confusion. 

‘“The little boxes will make you angry”. What does that mean?’

The Doctor's head snapped up and she glared at the other woman. 

‘Knock that out.’

‘It was just the one sentence,’ the Corsair said accusingly, confused by the sudden hostility. ‘When I pulled you out of the waves it was the first thing that came into your head. Along with the most bizarre image of my tattoo on someone’s arm. I’m assuming it was  _ my  _ arm, but it looked a little peculiar.’ 

She stepped towards the Doctor and reached out a hand, searching the other Time Lord’s face for something other than fear and guilt but finding nothing. The Doctor was almost folded in on herself, arms wrapped around her body and wet hair swinging into her face. She looked cold and sodden but she refused to step towards or even look at the Corsair, eyes cast resolutely downwards and shoulders shaking a little as she shivered. She looked like she wanted to run, but probably didn't dare with her friends still healing. 

The Corsair reached out her hand and concentrated, feeling the threads of time surrounding her friend and allowing them to wrap around her skin. The golden strands were twisting into each other and warping in a way no timeline should. It pulsed at her fingertips and burned her skin and the Corsair snatched her hand back as though she’d been burned, a hand pressing against her forehead as a headache started to form at her temple and her knees buckled and threatened to knock her over. 

The Doctor was at her side in an instant, a small hand gripping her elbow tightly. Her mind was closed and the mental block pushed hard against the Corsair, throwing her off balance and sending her reeling into one of the pillars of her ship. She shrugged the other woman off and struggled to her feet, gasping for breath and pressing her fingers against her temple.

‘What the  _ hell -’ _

‘I can’t let you see,’ the Doctor whispered. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘How out of sync  _ are  _ our timelines?’ the Corsair yelled. ‘You  _ never  _ should have summoned me here what the  _ hell  _ were you  _ thinking?!’ _

‘I didn't  _ try  _ and summon you here!’ the Doctor yelled back, and the wind picked up the water around them as the ship lurched violently from side to side, sending them both sliding across the deck.

‘Of course you bloody did,’ the Corsair glowered. ‘I heard your message.  _ Help me. I’m drowning.  _ I came straight here like you knew I would. You  _ tricked  _ me -’

‘I was trying to get hold of  _ my  _ TARDIS,’ the Doctor complained. ‘How could I have known you were going to pick up the signal? In a universe this size it should have been  _ impossible  _ and it was CRUEL’ - here she yelled the word at the sky, hands in fists at her sides - ‘to send it to you!’

She was full of rage, the Corsair realised, or at least something similar. There was a hole punched straight through their timelines and it was burning her, almost strangling as the frayed edges wrapped around her arms and legs and tried to pull her back, tried to repair themselves though that was impossible with the two of them together. Her hands were shaking with the effort of keeping herself - of keeping  _ them  _ \- grounded to reality, and the Corsair realised too late that she was in agony. 

‘Hush, love,’ the Corsair said gently, running towards her and catching her shaking hands tightly in her own. She pressed their foreheads together, tried desperately hard to grab the fraying edges and tie them together to alleviate the burden, but it was no use. The Doctor wouldn’t let her in.

‘What are you doing you silly old woman,’ the Corsair whispered, gripping the other woman’s arms and pulling her into a fierce hug as the wind whipped their hair around their faces and the rain began to pelt against their clothes. ‘Let me help.’

The Doctor shook her head and the Corsair was distraught to see a tear of pain leak from the corner of her eye and drip down onto the wet deck below their feet. She was shaking again and the Corsair tucked an arm around her and led her into the ship. 

‘If you won’t let me help you, at least let me take your mind off it.’

* * *

The Corsair’s room was dark and her bedding was a deep blue, the same colour as the sea outside and the waistcoat she was wearing. There were candles burning in the room and various articles of clothing strewn across the floor and over furniture, books and other trinkets crammed into every available space. Despite the force of the waves outside the ship was still and steady, and the Corsair was kissing the Doctor before she was even properly in the room, pressing her up against the doorframe and holding her there by the hips as she slipped her tongue into the other woman’s mouth and traced the top of her teeth, the Doctor practically falling into her arms. 

She was desperate for contact, the Corsair realised, or perhaps just desperate for contact from  _ her,  _ and she cradled her face carefully in her hands, feeling the Doctor light up under her touch and unconsciously push her hips forward, gripping the Corsair’s arms tightly. The Doctor caught sight of the tattoo on the Corsair’s forearm and pressed her lips to it, fresh tears falling from her eyes that the Corsair knew weren’t from pain. At least, not the pain of their shattered timelines stabbing at her, anyway. 

‘Let me help you,’ the Corsair whispered against her skin, pulling the sodden coat from her shoulders and tugging her braces down as the Doctor clung to her and pushed their lips together again, seeking out the comfort from the tender gesture. It was relatively easy now to find the frayed edges of their timeline and start knitting them back together. It wouldn’t be perfect, of course, but a quick patch job was better than nothing at all and it seemed to be helping her friend somewhat. 

The Corsair undressed the Doctor, and then herself, quickly, wanting to rid their cold bodies of their freezing clothes and get under the warm sheets as soon as possible. The Doctor’s body was cold under hers, and the Corsair kissed her way down her chest and ran her hands across her skin to try and warm her, relishing the breathy moans and soft gasps that pressed into her ears and - occasionally, when the Doctor let her guard down a little - her mind. 

‘You’re so soft,’ the Corsair whispered, tracing the edge of the Doctor’s breast with her fingers and lightly sucking on a nipple as the Doctor arched her back and cried out into the quiet stillness of the room, writhing into the Corsair’s grip. 

‘We haven’t done this for a while,’ the Doctor panted once the Corsair was back to biting at her neck and trailing her hand lower and lower down, feeling for the heat emanating from between her legs as she untangled their timelines and felt along the golden strands for the knots, separating the ones she could and filing away the others that were knotted too tight.

‘The last time was Paris, wasn’t it?’ the Corsair remembered, wrapping a hand in the Doctor’s hair and running the wet strands through her fingers as the timeline pushed through her mind. She’d been a  _ he  _ then, full of charisma and handsome as anything. In fact, now she came to think about it, they both had. ‘1786. Those bank security guards did get a shock.’ 

The Doctor chuckled and then moaned as a warm hand dripped between her legs. Her headache had been lessening with the Corsair’s help but the sensations throbbing deep inside her were drowning out the pain and the god awful  _ memories  _ and she could feel her soul relaxing and unwinding with every gentle touch of the Corsair’s hands. 

_ See that snake. Mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke. _

She cried out in pain, the timeline tightening around her hearts, and the Corsair kissed her again, gently, pulling the strands apart with her mind and feeling her way through the heat between her legs with her hand, pulling gasps and moans from her mouth as she probed carefully with her fingers, feeling the other woman tug and pull her closer. Her memories were blocked off, but there was something else emanating from her as she moved slowly against the Corsair, lips leaving burning kisses on her jaw and neck. It was relief, or something like it, and the Corsair pulled gently at it and amplified it with feelings of her own as she sucked on the Doctor’s bottom lip. 

The Doctor pushed her hips up as the Corsair pushed a finger slowly inside her and moaned when a thumb slowly pressed against her clit and moved in tantalisingly slow circles against her. The Doctor’s hands travelled up the Corsair’s chest, pausing to hold and run her fingers across her breasts before tangling in her long, thick hair. 

The threads of their timelines were almost repaired, at least the strands the Corsair could get to, and there was another thread spiralling warm and golden as they became entwined; burning this encounter into the fabric of time and wrapping itself tightly around the two of them. It was softer, this thread, and the Corsair pulled at it gently; hearing the Doctor let out a soft sigh in response. 

‘Is that better?’ the Corsair asked, leaning down to bite gently at the Doctor’s collarbones as she thrust her fingers slowly inside her. 

‘Hmm,’ the Doctor replied, her back arching and fingers wrapping into the Corsair’s hair. 

The Corsair could feel her hearts pounding through her chest and she kissed her way slowly down her chest, pausing to nibble at the surface of her stomach before ducking between her legs and painting tantalisingly soft kisses against the inside of her thighs, removing her fingers so she could use her tongue instead and lapping gently at the other woman, hands at her hips keeping her still as the Doctor moaned and thrust into her touch. 

It didn't take long before the Doctor was lighting up above her and she could feel her clenching around her tongue and fingers, hands gripping tightly at her hair and body relaxing suddenly into the mattress with a sigh. 

The Corsair left one last kiss against the inside of her thigh before wriggling up in the bed and pulling her close into her arms. The Doctor was exhausted from trying desperately hard to stay afloat and get to Yaz in the water, but she reached for her all the same and the Corsair allowed her to return the favour until it was she moaning into the air and tugging at the Doctor's hair between her legs. 

Afterwards, when everything was still and the Doctor was fast asleep in her arms, the Corsair tried again to reach into the mental block; but even an unconscious Doctor wasn’t letting her in and she pulled back when the other Time Lord started to stir, kissing her temple gently and allowing herself to slip into sleep as well. 

* * *

If anyone was wondering where the Doctor and the Corsair had gotten to last night - especially Yaz who’d assumed the Doctor was going to be staying with her - they didn't say anything, and kept their suspicions to themselves when the two women made their appearance in the galley the next morning, the Doctor awkwardly adjusting her hair across her face so it hid a small dark mark forming at the base of her neck. 

Ryan wanted to tell her that her hair was much too short to properly hide a hickey, but he decided to keep it to himself. 

They left soon after breakfast, and the Corsair stayed on the deck with the Doctor and gave her a lingering kiss once the other humans had stepped inside the blue box. 

‘Don’t be a stranger,’ she said softly, fingers tracing circles on her hip and lips warm against the Doctor’s neck. ‘I enjoyed our night.’

‘I’ll try and come back soon,’ the Doctor replied, stepping away from her and kissing her knuckles. ‘If memory serves, I think you still owe me a drink.’

‘I owe you much more than a drink,’ the Corsair smirked, and the Doctor flushed as she stepped inside her box. 

‘Oh, one other thing,’ the Corsair called, and the Doctor turned to look at her patiently, hair whipping across her face in the spray from the sea and coat billowing against her legs. 

‘That sentient asteroid,’ the Corsair continued, voice playful as the Doctor’s blood ran cold and her hearts plummeted into her boots. She hadn’t let her see,  _ she hadn’t let her see _ .

‘Did you spot my TARDIS in the junkyard, by any chance?’

The timelines tugged at the Doctor again, pulling and dragging and screaming down the golden strands. She knew the answer to that. She  _ hadn’t  _ seen the Corsair’s ship. She’d been looking for it, had assumed it was the pirate ship she was standing on now, but the Corsair’s chameleon circuit was probably working and the absence of it hadn’t made her suspect anything. 

_ Howdoessheknowhowdoessheknow.  _

‘I - I don’t -’

The Corsair winked at her and sauntered across the deck of her ship towards her steering wheel, hips sashaying from side to side.

‘It was  _ so  _ lovely to see you again, Doctor. Give my best to House.’

Then she was gone, and the Doctor was left staring after her as something started to build up in her chest and hum like electricity inside her ribcage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet everyone forgot there was gonna be another chapter for this fic! I got round to it eventually XD   
> Thank you to my wife and fellow Thorsair stan Ginoodle for the digital kick up the backside to get this finished.  
> 1 WIP down, 1 to go! :D I have a multi chapter Christmas story planned so keep an eye out for that :)

_ She knows. How does she know? She can’t. She can’t know. Unless - _

The Doctor ran inside her TARDIS, almost barrelling into Ryan and sending him flying as she threw levers and pressed switches and dashed around the console maniacally, warning her confused friends to hold on tight as the TARDIS spun and whiralled and knocked them from side to side. Her chest was full of excitement, mind swirling through the possibilities, timelines flashing like motorway lights behind her eyes and the TARDIS - while a little concerned considering she was almost eaten last time - pulsed and thrummed under her hands, crashing out of the universe with a bang and slamming to a stop in the asteroid’s atmosphere; the lights dimming as the ship tried to compensate for the sudden outburst of power. 

‘Doctor, what is going on?’ Yaz asked, panting as she struggled to her feet. ‘Where are we?’

‘And what’s got into you?’ Graham asked, annoyed. ‘Your driving is chaotic at the best of times but that was ridiculous.’

The Doctor didn't reply and when Graham looked up he realised she wasn’t even in the console room anymore, though they could hear banging and clanging around from somewhere inside the ship. The three humans followed the noise, and found the Doctor in a cupboard rummaging through a shelf filled with various knicknacks, chucking various objects to the ground, expression crazed and desperate as she searched for something. 

‘Doctor, what is going on?’ Ryan asked, looking at the other two. ‘You’re frightening us.’

The Doctor pulled her head from the shelf, a glowing white box in one hand and what looked like an oversized watch in the other. 

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, shoving the box into her coat pocket and securing the watch around her wrist. ‘I can’t tell you what’s going on. I  _ will.  _ But not right now.’

The box had a ouroboros symbol on it, Graham noticed, identical to the one the Corsair had on her forearm. Ryan nudged his arm and pointed at it, just to make sure he’d noticed. 

‘Is this something to do with the Corsair?’ Graham asked uncertainly. ‘Cause I get she’s your friend, or at least you’re the same species or whatever, but you didn't really explain the relationship.’

‘I will,’ the Doctor urged, grabbing his arm and Yaz’s hand tightly. She looked at her friends, expression soft though a fire burned behind her eyes. ‘I’ll explain everything. I swear, I just need to do this  _ one thing  _ first.’

‘So where are we?’ Yaz asked, trying to sound excited though her stomach was full of dread as they followed the Doctor back into the console room, the Time Lord muttering to herself and tapping the screen of her watch as the TARDIS beeped and hummed above them. 

‘We’re in orbit around a sentient asteroid. I can’t land, not after what happened last time, but if I’ve timed it right - and I  _ think  _ I have - I should be just in time…’

‘Just in time for what?’ Yaz asked, and she grabbed the other woman’s arm when the Doctor didn't reply, squeezing it tightly. 

‘Tell us what’s going on. Right now,’ Yaz demanded. ‘Cause I’m getting the feeling that you’re about to do something stupid.’

‘Me? Never,’ the Doctor said, shocked. She tried to brush off Yaz’s concerns, and an excuse was already on the tip of her tongue, when she looked up and saw their expressions. 

Graham looked worried, Ryan looked confused, and Yaz’s face was full of fear. They were looking at her as though they were starting to see the person behind the facade she put on, the Doctor realised, and she took Yaz’s hand and reached out for Ryan’s, trying to seem reassuring though she was just as afraid as they were.

_ If I get this wrong the paradox will rip a hole in the universe.  _

‘The Corsair died here,’ she explained quickly, aware she was running out of time. If she wasn’t out of it already. If this whole stupid venture ended up being for nothing and she was just putting her friends in danger for no reason.

Graham opened his mouth to speak but she spoke over him quickly, the strands of hers and the Corsair’s timelines slipping through her fingers as time ticked steadily downwards.

‘At least, I  _ thought  _ she had, but now I’m not so sure. Now I think I have a chance to save her.’ 

‘Then let us come with you,’ Ryan insisted. ‘We’re Team TARDIS, yeah? Let us  _ help.  _ This quest of yours is obviously dangerous you shouldn’t be doing it alone.’

The Doctor shook her head, let go of their hands, and fiddled with the settings on her vortex manipulator. 

‘I can’t.  _ Really.  _ It’s much too dangerous.’

‘So it’s a brilliant idea for you to go down there on your own then?’ Graham said, waving his arms around in exasperation. 

‘Yes,’ the Doctor replied, and disappeared. 

* * *

She materialised in the valley of eaten TARDIS’, the corpses of her own ship’s sisters left to decay piled up on top of each other in the dusty dark atmosphere of the asteroid. She knew House would have sensed she was there, knew she had to move quickly if she had any chance of saving the Corsair, so she swallowed down the nausea rising in the pit of her stomach and took a deep breath, her feet guiding her towards the cells as she focused on her plan. The Corsair’s ship, if it hadn’t already been devoured, had to be around there somewhere and as long as she could get the Corsair onto it she could get them safely away.

If she wasn’t already dead, in which case that was most likely the end of the universe anyway. 

Auntie and Uncle’s voices drifted towards her and the Doctor ducked behind a cabinet, hiding as the two grotesque servants wandered past her hiding place, looking about and muttering to each other. 

She was counting on House being distracted by the Corsair’s TARDIS, and therefore being too busy to notice her - though she knew that wouldn’t last long. 

‘... need a new host,’ Auntie was saying. ‘He can’t feed on that TARDIS otherwise. We still got those traps anywhere? I’m sure we can pull someone through that will be suitable. Such a shame about the other girl. I really thought it was going to work.’

The Doctor swallowed hard, but kept moving. 

Suddenly, like a piercing  _ shove  _ inside her head, the screams of the Corsair’s TARDIS forced their way into her mind and the Doctor dropped to her knees, hands clasped tightly over the side of her head as the ship twisted in agony. 

‘Hold on,’ the Doctor said to her soothingly through gritted teeth. ‘I’m coming.’

She reached out for the TARDIS in her mind and held her hands around it, the Corsair’s TARDIS reacting to her touch like a young child lost without its mother, clinging on tightly and burrowing itself into her subconscious. It was lost and frightened and the telepathic connection was weak and broken. The fact that the Doctor was able to reach out for it at all was indication that the Corsair’s time was almost up and she struggled to her feet. She could feel House pushing and shoving, trying to get to the TARDIS so he could devour it, but she put up mental barriers and kept moving.

It was harder to keep going with the TARDIS clasped protectively inside her mind, but the Doctor surged forward and held out her hands for balance, gripping whatever she could find to support her and keep her moving onwards. 

Her boots crunched on the dirty ground, but soon she found the entrance to the little den and was stumbling inside, vision blinded by pain for a moment as the TARDIS made another pained scream and the Doctor fought hard to protect her. House couldn’t drain her yet, not without transferring her consciousness into another host (which was probably what Auntie and Uncle were up to), but it was giving it a go anyway and the younger ship was in agony. She couldn’t spy Auntie or Uncle anyway and the Doctor crept through the little settlement, nudging pieces of broken appliances out of the way as she tried to remember where the cells had been. It was dark and the smell was strong down here. The taste of blood was in the air and the Doctor swallowed hard, doing her best to ignore it as she focused on finding her friend and protecting the other TARDIS. 

‘Hello? Is anyone there?’

The weak voice sent the Doctor’s spirits soaring and she almost cried out in relief. 

_ Not too late. I’m not too late.  _

‘Did you get my message? Hello?’

‘I’m here! I’m coming!’

‘Thank heavens! Please! I’m in here! Come quick!’

It was a man’s voice, but the Doctor was expecting that, and the sight of the injured man in the cage peering at her in the gloom made her hearts thump hard in her chest as she staggered towards him, hand already reaching into her pocket for her sonic screwdriver. Blinding pain seared across her vision again and she pressed her hands against her eyes, gritting her teeth as she tried to ride it out. 

‘Are you alright, dear?’ the Corsair asked, reaching out for her awkwardly with one arm as she came close. ‘Did he hurt you?’

‘In a manner of speaking,’ the Doctor said, hanging on tightly to the Corsair’s TARDIS as the sonic hummed and buzzed in her hand and the cage door unlocked.

The Corsair’s face was full of relief at the sight of the sonic, though the Doctor noticed with a stab of pain that his arm was already missing, and he gripped her shoulder and pushed their foreheads together, clinging onto his saviour tightly. 

‘Doctor,’ he breathed. ‘I knew you’d find me.’

‘Always,’ she replied, sonicing the handcuff securing his remaining wrist to the wall. ‘We need to move though, can you stand?’

He shook his head, and the Doctor remembered what Auntie had said. It was a miracle he was still alive, but Time Lords were tough and hard to kill. 

_ I got the arm, and then Uncle got the spine and the kidneys.  _

‘Can you regenerate?’

‘No.’ 

The Corsair looked up at her, face grey and skin clammy, and the Doctor reached out and took his cheek in her hand, searching for the Artron Energy he’d need to kickstart a regeneration, but there was nothing. She could feel his life slipping away. Another few minutes and she may have been too late, may  _ still  _ be too late. 

Well, not  _ nothing.  _ But she hadn’t done  _ that  _ for a long time. Hadn’t needed to and tried to avoid it. Now though, that little Time Lord trick may just come in handy. 

Footsteps sounded in the corridor behind them, and the Doctor gripped his arm tightly. 

‘Do you trust me?’ she whispered urgently, and the Corsair smiled. 

‘Certainly more than you trust me, I’d imagine. Especially after all those times we’ve ended up in jail cells. Hopefully this won’t be another one of those occasions. You’re far too beautiful in this regeneration to end up as bits of those creatures.’ 

Uncle’s voice came closer, and the Doctor closed her eyes, hung onto the Corsair, and shoved them into an interloping timeline. Not a massive one, not one where it would hurt too much or make too much of a difference, but one where a spanner had fallen off a high shelf and landed on Nephew’s head, stopping him just before he removed the Corsair’s spine and saving  _ just enough  _ regeneration energy for the Corsair to be able to regenerate. She could feel time tugging and pulling as it rewrote itself, but only a little. Not enough to cause too large a paradox, though it was going to give her a killer of a headache later. 

_ I got the arm, and then Uncle got the kidneys.  _

When the Doctor opened her eyes again, the Corsair’s were burning golden and he was holding himself a little straighter, looking up at her with shock and admiration shining from his face. 

‘My word,’ he murmured. 

‘Come on,’ the Doctor said, dragging him upwards and letting him lean on her though he was a good few feet taller and wider. ‘Let’s get a shift on.’ 

The Corsair’s TARDIS was just outside, a tiny sailboat compared to its usual magnificent pirate ship, and the doors opened automatically with a thrum of relief as the Doctor dragged the Corsair into it and dropped him into a corner of the control room, already programming the coordinates to get them out of there. She could feel the telepathic link from the Corsair’s TARDIS slipping from her mind as it reasserted itself into the ship and began to hum under her hands. 

Auntie’s voice sounded from outside the open door, declaring they’d managed to pull someone through after all, and the Doctor looked up. 

Idris was stood there, dazed and confused with Auntie’s hand -  _ the Corsair’s hand  _ \- holding onto her tightly. Her eyes were wide, expression slack and frightened, and the Doctor felt her hearts tug as she took in those familiar features. 

‘Cheeky sod,’ the Corsair coughed weakly from the floor, noticing Auntie’s arm as artron energy leaked from the corners of his mouth. ‘Didn't even buy me a drink first.’ 

Idris looked at her, looked  _ right at her,  _ and the Doctor held her gaze. She wasn’t the TARDIS, not yet anyway, but it was the same face, the same eyes that had looked at her pleadingly, begging for help.

The Doctor looked down at the floor and pulled the dematerialisation lever as the Corsair exploded into light and Idris reached out a hand towards them, the doors swinging shut as the TARDIS sailed into the time vortex and they escaped the asteroid. 

* * *

‘How do I look?’ a familiar voice asked. 

The Doctor turned around, hands in her pockets, and saw the Corsair stood in front of her.  _ Her  _ Corsair, although when was she not?

‘You’re blushing,’ the Corsair said with a smile, taking a step forward and stumbling as her foot slid inside a too-big shoe. She frowned at them and kicked them off, brushing long dark hair out of her face and holding up her hands in their gigantic-sleeves. She stretched out her newly regrown arm with a smug smile, wriggling her fingers and stretching the taunt muscle. 

The Doctor remembered how she’d looked above her, face pink and eyes warm as she’d run those same hands across her body, and she flushed and looked away when the Corsair peered down her too-big shirt, a grin stretched across her face. 

‘Well this is certainly an upgrade,’ she said with a smirk, looking up at the Doctor through half-hooded eyes. ‘One I’m assuming you’ve come across before, judging from the state your timeline is in right now. Nice job by the way, with the alternate timeline business. I looked for one myself but didn't see the point in switching. I’d rather die fast than slow if fast is an option.’ 

The Doctor flicked a switch and said nothing, ears burning and hearts pumping in her chest. She tried to ignore the Corsair’s presence behind her but she was too _ there,  _ too alive and real and  _ I rescued her.  _

‘What’s that sound?’ the Corsair asked suddenly, ears pricking up, and then the Doctor was backed up against the TARDIS console and the Corsair was reaching a slim hand into her pocket and pulling out her psychic message in its little box, dropping it immediately as though it had burnt her when she saw the snake emblem. 

‘That thing is wrong,’ she declared, glaring down at it. ‘It’s mine, obviously, but it’s  _ wrong.’  _ She looked at the Doctor, eyes narrowed. ‘Did you put it through a washing machine or something? It’s like you shoved  _ that  _ out of its timeline too.’

‘It’s complicated,’ the Doctor replied, fiddling with the console, and the Corsair pulled her hands away and pressed their lips together, the fizz and spark of Artron Energy on her tongue sending the Doctor's head sprilliling. She tasted incredible, like raw time with a dash of something spicy, and the Doctor gripped her hips and pulled her closer, gasping into her mouth and sliding her hands up her new chest, feeling her breasts heavy and soft in her hands. 

‘Can’t say I’ve ever been felt up this quickly after regenerating before,’ the Corsair decided, stripping off her too big shirt and allowing her trousers to fall to the floor until she was naked in front of the Doctor, pressing her body against the other Time Lord’s as she stole another kiss with enthusiasm, taking the Doctor’s hand and guiding it slowly between her legs. 

‘I’ve not been a woman for a good few regenerations now,’ she said sultrily. ‘Would you mind? Just to make sure nothing’s changed.’

The Doctor found her wet and ready and she flipped their positions, hands under the Corsair’s thighs sitting her on the edge of the console. She wrapped her other hand around the Corsair’s new, thick hair and pressed lightly into the heat between the Corsair’s legs, the other woman gasping and writhing against her fingers. 

‘Ooh yes. Nothing’s changed. Don’t stop though.  _ Please _ don’t stop.’ 

The Doctor, knowing full well her friends would be worried about her but not wanting to give up this moment just yet, dropped onto her knees and pressed her face between the other woman’s thighs, holding her hips still as she carefully pressed her tongue along the length of her and slipped a finger easily inside wet heat while the Corsair gasped and squirmed above her, fingers clutching at her hair and nails digging into her scalp.

‘That’s good. That’s  _ so  _ good. God I’m glad you’re not a prude this regeneration. I wasted  _ years  _ trying to get into your pants.’ 

The Doctor bit lightly at her clit in response and the Corsair cried out in pleasure, forcing her hips down against the Doctor’s face and fingers and urging her onwards, riding her hard until her orgasm exploded behind her eyes and she fell boneless against the console with a contented sigh, stray regeneration energy escaping from the corner of her mouth. 

‘That’s so much better. I can consider myself properly broken in now. Although…’ 

She peered at her arms, examining the bare skin and eventually tapping her left forearm with a smile. 

‘I think this would be a good spot for my tattoo, don’t you think? And can I just saw how perfect you look down there?’

The Doctor got to her feet and now it was the Corsair’s turn to get pushed against the console as the Doctor kissed her fiercely and with such ferocity that the Corsair was breathless when she finally pulled away, clinging onto her arms and eyes hooded in that post-regeneration  _ I could really do with a nap  _ kind of way.

‘Hmm,’ she said sleepily. ‘What’s gotten into you? You’ve barely said a word by the way. You can hardly say you’re not a fan of the new body after the thourough fucking you just gave me.’

‘I’m definitely a fan,’ the Doctor murmured, kissing and nuzzling her neck affectionately until the Corsair was squirming in her arms again and reaching for her. 

‘Then what’s the problem?’ she whispered again. ‘You’re looking at me like I’m a ghost.’

‘You’re not a ghost,’ the Doctor said, shaking her head against the Corsair’s neck. ‘I just can’t believe -’

She stopped, and the Corsair pulled her against her for another one of those toe-curling kisses. 

‘Hold that thought,’ she whispered, body drooping against the Doctor’s who snuck arms around her waist to support her. ‘I’m in urgent need of a nap. Do you mind? I’ve not been carried to bed for  _ years.’  _

The Doctor easily scooped her into her arms, the Corsair smiling as she pressed her lips against the Doctor's neck, and made her way towards the other woman’s bedroom. She still remembered the way and the Corsair’s bedroom looked exactly the same as it did in the future, her bedding dark blue and various candles and books dottered across the wooden cabin.

‘Are you going to join me?’ the Corsair murmured sleepily, curling under the covers. ‘Not had a proper cuddle for years either and you feel so soft this time around.’

‘I’ll stay for a bit,’ the Doctor whispered, clambering underneath the sheets and pulling the Corsair into her arms. ‘But I need to get back to my friends, I left them in kind of a rush.’

‘A rush to save me? How romantic.’

The Doctor leant down to kiss her slowly, but it wasn’t long before the Corsair went slack against her and she was fast asleep; stray wisps of regeneration energy spiralling upwards towards the ceiling as she curled around her friend. 

* * *

‘Okay, so then what?’ Yaz asked. ‘You just left her?’

The Doctor pressed the pillow harder against her eyes, the headache she’d anticipated from moving their timelines pounding behind her eyelids. She’d told them the whole story - minus the quick whoopie on the TARDIS console of course - and she could envision Graham’s frown though she had no intention of moving the pillow. The darkness was gentle, the lights in the library were far too bright, even if Ryan insisted the TARDIS had definitely turned them down.

‘Proper post-regeneration naps last for days,’ the Doctor replied, her voice muffled through the fabric of the cushion. ‘And I knew you lot would be worried about me.’

‘You only had a quick 20 minutes though,’ Ryan said in confusion. ‘Ohhh no wait I remember now. After the whole thing with Tim Shaw you drank like thirty cups of coffee then basically passed out till it was time for Nan’s funeral.’

‘That’s the unhealthy way of doing it. I can’t remember the last time I actually managed to snooze properly after regenerating. It’s usually all go immediately.’ 

‘Well I’m glad you’re okay, Doc,’ Graham said, leaning over to pat her hand. ‘And well done for saving the Corsair.’ 

‘But maybe let us know what’s going on before you disappear for five hours and leave us worried sick,’ Yaz reprimanded her. 

‘Come on, let’s let her lordship sleep off her headache,’ Graham said with a chuckle. ‘I’ve got a book waiting for me.’

The Doctor gratefully rolled onto her side, pillow still placed against her eyelids, and she caught a whiff of Yaz’s perfume as she leaned over her to tuck a blanket around her shoulders. 

‘Don’t think I’ve missed the hickey,’ Yaz whispered. ‘You dog.’

The Doctor was still chuckling when she finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! XD

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO'S SAVING THE CORSAIR BITCHES.


End file.
